Helping little ones with dysphagia and reflux drink safely from 6 months onwards
ThickenUp® Junior is an easy-to-use thickener specifically designed to help young children with dysphagia or reflux drink and swallow safely.
ThickenUp® Junior helps your child continue to enjoy feeding by preserving the original taste of liquids.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Always consult your healthcare professional before using any thickener for your child.
ThickenUp® Junior is a food for special medical purposes, to be used under medical supervision. It is not suitable for those with a history or risk of necrotizing enterocolitis.
Why ThickenUp® Junior is the right thickener:
*International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative
High performance: Reaches the right thickness in a wide variety of liquids, including milks
ThickenUp® Junior’s unique composition of xanthan and locust bean gum, two thickeners, ensures the right level of thickness is reached in a wide variety of liquids, including milks.
Safe: The right level of thickness when needed
ThickenUp® Junior is the only thickener designed to reach all thickness levels according to IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative) standards, from level 1 to level 4, to ensure safe oral feeding in young children with dysphagia and reflux from 6 months onwards, regardless of the extent of their dysphagia.
ThickenUp® Junior also reaches all thickness levels at different temperatures in liquids and maintains stability during the average feeding time (approx. 30 min).
Efficient: Adapted to children above 6 months with varying degrees of dysphagia
ThickenUp® Junior may help reduce reflux and aspiration, supporting children’s nutritional and hydration needs.
It is important to note that drink thickness required by each child varies according to their age and the extent of their dysphagia, therefore you should discuss with your paediatrician the IDDSI thickness level that is best adapted to your child’s needs.
Using the right thickener is important. Inappropriate thickness increases risks for children with swallowing difficulties and can lead to unintended consequences:
TOO THIN
- Coughing
- Liquids get into the lungs
- Liquids come through the nose during feeding
- Liquids go down the wrong way
TOO THICK
- Dehydration
- Choking
Types of thickeners you should avoid for your little ones:
Non-commercial thickeners, such as baby cereals and homemade thickening that do not guarantee the right thickness and are more time-consuming
Many thickeners that are not amylase-resistant, and may react with saliva
Adult commercial thickeners that are not adapted to young children and can cause inflammation of the gut
Many thickeners that are not able to reach all desired thickness levels safely, from slightly thick to extremely thick
Taste preservation:
Unlike other thickeners, ThickenUp® Junior preserves the original taste of the liquids it thickens, and therefore ensures a more enjoyable drinking experience for your child.
- ThickenUp® Junior helps children develop their sense of taste
- ThickenUp® Junior increases drink enjoyment and diversification
- ThickenUp® Junior improves the positive experience of oral feeding and long-term taste and swallowing education
ThickenUp® Junior works very well in a wide variety of liquids.
ThickenUp® Junior provides the right thickness in a few quick and simple steps.
How to achieve the desired thickness level in different liquids:
- In water
- In milk
- In other liquids
The following will guide you on how to use ThickenUp® Junior with water
Mixing Instructions
Liquid first
Add powder
Use the dosage scoop included in the tin
- Shake vigorously for 30 seconds
- Leave to stand for 5 minutes
- Give one gentle shake and consume
It is recommended to mix by shaking in a bottle for 30 seconds. Shaking is much more effective than stirring with a fork or hand whisk.
Dosing instructions:
The following table indicates the recommended volume of water in mL to reach each IDDSI thickness level. For example, mix 100 mL or mineral water with 2 scoops of ThickenUp® Junior to obtain IDDSI level 2 thickness.
(slightly thick)
1 scoop
(mildly thick)
2 scoops
(moderately thick)
3 scoops
(extremely thick)
5 scoops
or carbonated water
Hard or soft water
Hard water has a high calcium content whereas soft water is lower in calcium; therefore hard water produces a thinner mix than soft water for the same amount of ThickenUp® Junior.
- Mineral water: The calcium content of bottled mineral water is usually displayed on the label or can be obtained from the manufacturer. For example. Buxton® has calcium content of 55mg/L and Evlan® of 80mg/L (both hard waters), whereas Nestle®'s Pure Life Spring water contains 27mg/L and Nestle®'s Pure Life Sparkling water contains 11mg/L (both soft waters).
- Tap water: The calcium content of tap water varies in different locations, therefore results with tap water can vary across regions, ThickenUp® Junior dosing will need to be adapted according to the water used.
Therefore, the softer the water (i.e. the lower the calcium content), the higher the volume of water that may be needed to achieve the right thickness (i.e. up to 200mL).
Please be aware that boiling water can reduce its calcium content, thereby making the water softer that before.
Take a look at the video on how to prepare water with ThickenUp® Junior
- Care must be taken to achieve the correct thickness according to the water used.
When you use a certain type of water (mineral or tap) for the first time with ThickenUp® Junior, make sure to use the IDDSI thickness test to check whether you have obtained the desired thickness based on dosing instructions. If necessary, you may need to adapt the dosage slightly to meet the desired thickness.
Click here for the IDDSI thickness testing section
To learn more about the IDDSI standards please visit the IDDSI website: www.iddsi.org
The following will guide you on how to use ThickenUp® Junior Junior in different milk types (e.g. Follow-On-Formula and Cow’s Milk)/p>
Mixing Instructions
Liquid first
Add powder
Use the dosage scoop included in the tin
- Shake vigorously for 30 seconds
- Leave to stand for 5 minutes
- Give one gentle shake and consume
Whichever milk type you wish to thicken, it is recommended to mix by shaking in a bottle for 120 seconds. Shaking is much more effective than stirring with a fork or hand whisk. Shaking for 120 seconds may seem like quite an effort, but the smooth consistency of the resulting mixture is worth the effort.
Dosing instructions:
1. Infant Formula- from 12-month onwards
To thicken infant formula, the recommended method is to prepare the formula first according to the manufacturer's instructions, then allow the liquid to cool to serving temperature (37°C). Once this step is achieved, use ThickenUp® Junior to thicken the milk formula. This helps ensure thickness consistency across different milk formulas.
The following table indicates the average volume of prepared infant formula milk recommended to reach IDDSI thickness levels 1 to 3. For example, to obtain level 1 thickness, first prepare your infant formula FOF (90ml of cooled boiled water + required amount of FOF infant formula powder), then add 1 scoop of ThickenUp® Junior.
(slightly thick)
1 scoop
(mildly thick)
2 scoops
(moderately thick)
3 scoops
(extremely thick)
5 scoops
or carbonated water
*IDDSI level 4 was not tested as infant formula at this thickness.
Take a look at the video on how to prepare infant formula with ThickenUp® Junior
2. Cow’s milk
ThickenUp® Junior performs very well in cow’s milk. The following table indicates the average volume of whole or 2% cow’s milk recommended to reach IDDSI thickness levels 1 to 4. For example, to obtain level 2 thickness using cow’s milk (2% fat), mix 70 mL of milk with 2 scoops of ThickenUp® Junior.
The following table indicates the average volume of prepared infant formula milk recommended to reach IDDSI thickness levels 1 to 3. For example, to obtain level 1 thickness, first prepare your infant formula FOF (90ml of cooled boiled water + required amount of FOF infant formula powder), then add 1 scoop of ThickenUp® Junior.
(slightly thick)
1 scoop
(mildly thick)
2 scoops
(moderately thick)
3 scoops
(extremely thick)
5 scoops
or carbonated water
*This has been prepared with milk at room temperature.
Take a look at the video on how to prepare cow’s milk with ThickenUp® Junior
When you use a certain type of milk for the first time with ThickenUp® Junior, make sure to use the IDDSI thickness test to check whether you have obtained the desired thickness based on dosing instructions. If necessary, you may need to adapt the dosage slightly to meet the desired thickness.
To learn more about the IDDSI standards please visit the IDDSI website: www.iddsi.org
The following will guide you on how to use ThickenUp® Junior Junior with juices.
Mixing Instructions
Liquid first
Add powder
Use the dosage scoop included in the tin
- Shake vigorously for 30 seconds
- Leave to stand for 5 minutes
- Give one gentle shake and consume
It is recommended to mix by shaking in a bottle for 120 seconds. Shaking is much more effective than stirring with a fork or hand whisk. Shaking for 120 seconds may seem like quite an effort, but the smooth consistency of the resulting mixture is worth the effort.
Dosing instructions:
The following table indicates the recommended volume of juices in mL to reach each IDDSI thickness level. For example, mix 100 mL of orange juice with 3 scoops of ThickenUp® Junior to obtain an IDDSI level 3 thickness.
(slightly thick)
1 scoop
(mildly thick)
2 scoops
(moderately thick)
3 scoops
(extremely thick)
5 scoops
infusions*
*Orange Juice prepared was without pulp and at room ambient temperature
Take a look at the video on how to prepare orange juice with ThickenUp® Junior
- It is important to note that different brands of orange juice can vary (acidity, sugar content, fibre content, pulp…).
When you use an orange juice with ThickenUp® Junior, for the first time, make sure you use the IDDSI thickness test to check whether you have obtained the desired thickness. If necessary, you may need to adapt the dosage slightly to meet the desired thickness.
Click here for the IDDSI thickness testing section
To learn more about the IDDSI standards please visit the IDDSI website: www.iddsi.org
2. Infusion tea
Mixing instructions:
Liquid first
Add powder
Use the dosage scoop included in the tin
- Shake vigorously for 30 seconds
- Leave to stand for 5 minutes
- Give one gentle shake and consume
It is recommend to mix by shaking in a bottle for 30 seconds. Shaking is much more effective than stirring with a fork or hand whisk
How to use the thickness level using the IDDSI standards:
This section will guide you on how to test whether you have obtained the thickness level recommended by your healthcare professional
We recommend that you use the IDDSI test as shown in the video below, especially when you use a certain liquid type for the first time with ThickenUp® Junior.
Please note that, while the dosing instructions may vary across liquid types, the instructions shown in this video on how to measure the desired IDDSI thickness are the same for all liquid types. For the purposes of this video, water is shown as an example:
As a reminder, there are four IDDSI thickness levels:
As shown in the video, levels 1, 2 and 3 tested using the 10-second syringe flow test, whereas level 4 is tested using the fork-drip and spoon-tilt tests, according to IDDSI standards.
To learn more about the IDDSI standards please visit the IDDSI website: www.iddsi.org
